SHOW REVIEW/LIVE PHOTOS: Redeemer Tour w/Toothgrinder and Norma Jean

A long and exciting lineup graced The Foundry Concert Club in Lakewood, Ohio. Long time legends Norma Jean took the stage during their Redeemer Tour along with Gideon, Toothgrinder, Greyhaven, Edorra and Crucigen. The crowd was on the smaller side upon walking in, but over the course of the evening swelled to a size that proved it was a sold out show.

Painesville, Ohio, native metalcore band Crucigen kicked off the evening with an energetic performance. The crowd was a bit smaller to start, but as the performance went on people began to file in. When asked to share his experience, guitarist and backing vocalist for Crucigen Radames Colon said “…opening for Norma Jean was an insane experience! It’s not very often you get to open for such a legendary band, especially one that has been so big in the metal scene for so long! Sharing the stage with them was a huge honor, and we couldn’t be happier to be on the bill!” The passion displayed on the stage showed that this band had something to prove, and prove it they did.

Following in the wake of Crucigen came Edorra, another local band coming out of Youngstown, Ohio. As they hocked loogie after loogie onto the stage, the crowd began to warm up. Singer Shawn Williams beckoned the crowd to move in tight, setting the mood for the evening. More and more people couldn’t help but move to the music. It was clear that this band had rehearsed, with synchronized bobbing and jumping. Their melodic tunes and heavy riffs are definitely something you’ll want to check out.

Coming all the way from Louisville, Kentucky, Greyhaven is a mustache-wielding group that brought an insatiable amount of energy to the stage. It seemed as though the musicians feet never touched the ground as they were jumping and kicking through the whole set, their long hair being flung all over. Compared to his bandmates, frontman Brent Mills seemed almost tame, with moments of explosive brilliance that kept the spirits of the crowd high. Coming off of their new album, Empty Black, Greyhaven debuted multiple new songs, each one being a hit with the crowd.

Toothgrinder is a well-known band out of Asbury Park, New Jersey. The band’s singer, Justin Matthews, gave a heartfelt performance, and the music itself was excellent, but the band as a whole felt uninspired; it lacked the passion of stage presence. Despite this, the crowd really came alive; it was during this performance that the first mosh pit of the evening broke out. The group started out slow, but by the final song had reached the energy and drive that we’d come to expect from them.

If there was any band from the lineup that liked their music loud, it was Gideon. With stoic expressions and fingers pointed in the air, the band pushed the sound engineer to raise their monitors louder and louder. In certain circumstances, people use loud volume as a way to cover poor performance; this was not the case with Gideon.

From the moment the band started to their final note, they rocked the club. Hailing from Alabama, this quintet brought insane energy to the stage. The music inspired all to let loose and jam along with the band; before we knew it, we were swayed into headbanging and moshing with everyone else. It wasn’t uncommon for people to jump up, throw up their devil horns, and jump into the crowd; by the end of the set there was a waterfall of crowdsurfers jumping from the stage. Their energy brought everyone to new heights, and they kept that momentum rolling for the headliners.

The atmosphere was nothing short of electric as Norma Jean took the stage. Amped up from the opening bands, fans were moshing and crowdsurfing within the first fifteen seconds of the first song. The passion and love of the music that they brought couldn’t be ignored. Keeping fan energy up is vital to a performer, and singer Cory Brandon knew how to work that angle perfectly; his interaction with the crowd kept the momentum going through the entire set. With the venue packed to the door, we felt as though we were a part of something great; song after song, note after note, Norma Jean proved to us why they are one of the best in the scene.